"Watch Carefully, This Is How You Roll It with Your Front Paws"... Raccoon Sisters Play Soccer with Trash

Only 200 Critically Endangered Raccoons Remain

'Cultural Learning' Previously Seen Only in Chimpanzees and Other Highly Intelligent Animals

A wild raccoon was observed collecting discarded tissue paper and receipts left by tourists, forming them into a ball, and then playing soccer. Scholars have analyzed this as an unusual example of intelligent behavior and social learning among animals, where the animals themselves created toys to play with.

The second raccoon shows interest as the first raccoon makes a ball. Photo captured by Discovery Wildlife

According to Discovery Wildlife on September 10 (local time), a research team from the University of Miami in the United States captured this play behavior while observing the endangered “pygmy raccoon” that inhabits Cozumel Island, Mexico. The research findings were published in the international academic journal “Wild.”

Making Balls from Trash—Even Playing Soccer

According to records of 64 hours of observation conducted by the research team on a beach in the southwest of the island, a pair of young pygmy raccoon sisters retrieved paper items such as napkins and receipts from a trash can. After gathering them, one raccoon wetted the paper in a water bowl, placed it on the sand, then used its front paws to repeatedly press and roll it, shaping it into a round ball.

The first raccoon is wetting the paper to make a ball. Photo by Discovery Wildlife

Out of a total of 14 attempts, they succeeded in making a ball 8 times. The raccoons then rolled and chased the homemade paper ball with their front paws, taking turns in a playful game similar to soccer. On another day, even two baby “long-nosed coati,” a small mammal native to the island, joined the ‘soccer field’ as well.

Raccoons are well-known for being intelligent, dexterous, and playful. In the United States, their tendency to rummage through garbage has earned them the nickname “trash pandas.” However, this is the first time raccoons have been observed making a toy out of trash, sharing it, and learning through this process.

"Watch Carefully, Little Sister"... 'Cultural Learning' Passed Down in a Family

The most notable aspect was their learning process. When the younger sister saw the older raccoon making a ball, she immediately tried to copy the behavior, but failed to roll the paper correctly since she had not wetted it. The older sister then took the paper from her sibling, wetted it herself and rolled it, demonstrating the technique. Watching intently, the younger raccoon ultimately succeeded in making a ball on her own.

The endemic pygmy raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus) of Cozumel Island. It is a different raccoon from the raccoon sisters featured in the study. Wikimedia Commons

Even more interesting, raccoons in other parts of the island—some 30 kilometers away—were not observed engaging in this behavior. Experts analyzed this as a unique case of ‘cultural learning’ inherited and passed down within a specific raccoon family group.

Cultural behaviors among animals—where they repeatedly select, manipulate, and transform materials in their environment—have so far only rarely been recorded in a handful of highly intelligent animals such as chimpanzees or dolphins. Marek Spinka, senior researcher at the Czech Institute of Animal Science, commented, “This is an example that shows just how complex play behavior in animals can be.”

Habitats of Wild Animals Threatened by Human Activity

Meanwhile, there are warnings that wild animals are being exposed to dangerous environments due to garbage discarded by tourists. The research team noted, “A mother raccoon, after drinking spilled alcohol left by tourists, staggered and collapsed, unable to get up for two hours, while her offspring busy themselves accepting scraps of snacks thrown by onlookers.”

A raccoon trying to eat the fruits people gave. Photo by Newsis

In fact, the older raccoon that played ball suffered a sudden decline in health due to a combination of exposure to wastewater from a nearby beach club, chemical agents, and malnutrition. Sadly, she eventually died while receiving rehabilitation treatment.

In the previous year alone, the number of visitors to Cozumel Island exceeded 9 million, with about half arriving by cruise ship. With fewer than 200 pygmy raccoons now remaining on Cozumel, the species is classified as “Critically Endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.